Shoe



Mar. 3, 1925. 1,528,302

G. L.. PIERCE SHOE Filed oct. 29, 1925 Patented Mar. 3, 1925.

lUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE L. PIERCE, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, .ASSIGNOR TO A. G. SPALDING & BROS.,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

SHOE.

Application' fried october 29, 1923. serial No. 671,524.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Grenen L. Pinnen, a'

citizen of the United States, and resident of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shoes, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to a shoe, and more particularly to the manufacture thereof.

It is common knowledge that the ordinary leather shoe manufacturer is not able to manufacture shoes which are provided with rubber soles, for the reason that said manufacturers are not equipped for vulcanization. The principal object of my invention, therefore, is the provision of a shoe, including a rubber sole, which may be expeditiously manufactured by said industry. l

An important object of my invention is the provision of ornamental or reinforcing patches or areas which may be vulcanized or otherwise secured to the upper before this member is seculed to the remainder of the shoe, so that the ornamental portions may be composed of rubber which may be vulcanized to the canvas upper in an expeditious manner.

I accomplish the above results by vulcanizing any ornamental or reinforcing patches onto the usual canvas upper while the same is in a flat condition. After the patch has become attached to the upper. this is then sewed to the insole and a supplemental outsole, as is usual. Also attached to the outsole is a rubber impregnated fabric strip, and I find it expedient to include this member in the stitching of the before mentioned parts. A rubber sole of any desired design may now be glued or cemented to the impregnated fabric strip, and an edging strip glued to the entire vthickness of the outsole portions to give a finished appearance to the shoe. In this way I am able to provide an essentially rubber shoe without applying a vulcanizing heat to the rubber outsole or to the edging strip, the only vulcanized portion being the rubber ornamental or reinforcing patch, which* is applied to the upper when the latter is in the at condition and befo-re incorporating the same into the shoe.

I have illustrated in the accompanying drawings a preferred embodiment of my invention, but it is to be understood that this is merely illustrative of the principle involved, and is not to be taken in a limiting sense.

In these drawings Figure l is a plan view.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation partly in section.

Figure i is a bottom plan view, partly broken away.

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation.

Referring now in detail to the form illusv trat'ed, I show an upper l of canvas to which is applied a reinforcing toe patch 2 by vulcanization, o-r by other means if desired.

-While I have specifically shown the patch as taking the form of a toe cap, it will be obvious that this patch may be applied at any other portion of the upper. It is desirable that the applicationof the patch and the vulcanization thereof to the upper, take place before the upper is sewed into the shoe, so that the upper remains in a fiat position and the application of a vulcanizing press or iron thereto, will be very simple. I have used the term patch as a convenient term, meaning thereb a reinforcing or protecting layer of rub er irrespective of its shape.

The upper, having secured thereto the ornamental or reinforcing patch, is now sewed onto the shoe, which consists of an insole 3 of fabric, leather, pasteboard, or other material. It will be apparent that if no vulcanizing heat is applied to the sole of the shoe at anytime, materials which heretofore would be injured by such a degree of heat, may be used in the structure of the shoe. The upper is held between the insole 3 and a supplemental sole 4, which is in the nature of a stiffening element and may be composed of any of the materials ordinarily used for this purpose. On the lower side of the supplemental sole 4 I provide a rubber impregnated strip of fabric 5. The insole 3, the upper 1 with the patch 2, the supplemental sole 4 and the fabric'strip 5, are now sewed together in the usual manner.

'To this structure I no'w apply the rubber sole G, as by means of a rubber cement which securely attaches the sole to the rubber impregnated strip 5. An edging strip 7 is now eementedto the edges of the sole portions .and with a sharp instrument tucked in, as

ple construction and of highly ornamental nature. l Having thus described my invention, what I claim is The h ereindescribed method of preparing uppers for use in the manufacture of foot- Wear, Which consistS in providingv a fabric upper blank with a. surfacing vlayer of rubber and' vulcanizing said surfacing layer While maintaining the upper in a fiat c011- dition.

In testimony whereof, I aiix my signature. 4

GEORGE L. PIERCE. 

